The global computer network known as the Internet is based on standard protocols that allow computers to communicate with each other even if using different software vendors, thus allowing anyone with a computer global accessability to servers and databases connected to the Internet world wide. The wealth of available information makes the Internet a valuable tool for technical research and engineering design applications. Using a Web browser, a user can access Web sites containing databases of industry standard information for materials and components, online university engineering information, design calculators, manufacturer information, and relevant regulatory information.
Searches of the Internet are typically conducted using powerful search engines, such as ALTA VISTA, YAHOO, EXCITE, GOOGLE, and HOTBOT. These search engines are content dependent and queries are conducted as keyword searches using Boolean operators. The limitations of the search engine algorithms can result in multiple irrelevant responses to a keyword query, making such a search extremely time consuming and labor intensive. For example, a keyword search for “pump” and “lift station,” as might be conducted by a civil engineer seeking product data, would return any number of documents which happen to include the keywords.
Another drawback is that the search engines are capable of searching only a fraction of the Internet's content. Most search engines search at most only the home page of a Web site, and data embedded in the site will not be located by the search engine. Web site information can be “stacked” in multiple layers, requiring the searcher to “sift” through the layers a time-consuming process to locate usable data. The desired information can also be in an “unsearchable” format such as Adobe Acrobat® (“.pdf”) documents and ASCII text, and again, would not turn up in a standard search engine query.
Additionally, due to the wide accessibility of the Internet, information retrieved from the Internet may be from a source of questionable legitimacy. The results returned by a search engine in response to a user query are not “screened” for the accuracy and validity of the information, and it is therefore up to the user to make this determination.
Another drawback associated with the search engine databases is that links are often moved or deleted after the search engine indexes the sites. This results in search results with numerous “dead ends.” It is also possible to manipulate the content of a Web site to cause the search engine to artificially rank the site higher in relevancy than other Web sites, which can cause misleading search results.
In view of the inherent limitations and inefficiency of Internet search engines, particularly with regard to locating technical and engineering data, it would be desirable to catalog technical information available on the Internet so as to provide a method which will allow a user quickly and conveniently access the information.